Togetherness
by Evervescent
Summary: In a time that's not always stable, you can always count on your family and friends to be there for you. A series of one-shots focused on the the family-like ties between the show's characters.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So I've always liked how this group had sort of a familial feeling about them, and I wanted to write a story showing the family ties between the characters. There aren't enough fics out there appreciating how the inu-tachi are kind of like siblings, and to be honest, the one's where they start shipping the wrong people just freak me out (no offense, it's just not my thing).

So here's _Togetherness, _which will be a collection of one-shots centered around family ties, and sometimes romance, between the Inuyasha characters.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, the show, characters, etc.

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><p>The sky was a placid, silvery color. It looked like it covered in flat clouds, and at the same time, it looked clear. No matter which it was, it cast a grey and depressing shadow over all of feudal Japan.<p>

Between autumn and winter, it was colder than usual. It was slightly windy, but without the sun out that day, it was colder than it should have been. Wildlife had already scampered for warmer shelter, but youkai, though a lesser number, still roamed the forest surrounding Kaede's village, though they left it in peace.

Sango blew out lightly— she saw her breath materialize in front of her before it evanesced into the surrounding air. She wasn't cold for some reason— maybe it was the two little girls snuggling up against her front proving her warmth.

Her two twin daughters— her first children. Almost a year old, and the most precious things in her life, besides Miroku...

They were both asleep, wrapped in thick blankets and one in each of Sango's arms. Her strength from years of taijiya training was incredibly helpful when it came to her children— she doubted that they would become heavy for her anytime soon.

She looked down at their faces. Miroku insisted that they looked more like her, and she had to agree. They had her face shape and hair, but she could see her husband in their nose and eyes. Miroku had laughed, saying it would have been funny if one twin looked like him while the other looked like her.

When sleeping, they looked so peaceful that Sango couldn't help but feel a swell of love for them. It squeezed her heart to know that Kagome would have loved to see and hold her children.

Oh Kagome...

It had been roughly a year since her closest friend had been pulled back into her own time. Her disappearance took heavy tolls on everyone, especially Inuyasha, The village wasn't as bright as it used to be, and smiles that they wore never did quite reach their eyes anymore.

Inuyasha mainly moped around the village, his sole duty protecting the village from youkai attacks. He killed almost emotionlessly, several steps down from when he passionately cut down demons for Kagome and theirs sake. He hardly even touched Tetsusaiga, instead opting for his flaws and fangs when handling the attacks.

Sango inhaled and exhaled again, looking out into the forest, her eyes slowly losing focus as she fell into deep thought. Miroku had left the village the day prior reluctantly to perform an emergency exorcism on the neighboring village. He had insisted on staying with his wife and precious children, but they had managed to convince him to go earn his keep while Inuyasha protected the village.

Speaking of which, where was he? Sango glanced around, furrowing her brows when she didn't see him. She wasn't worried, she could still hold her own against any attacking youkai, but she hadn't even done so while with her children.

"Sango?" She nearly jumped out of her skin when said hanyou appeared behind her somehow, approaching her. "What the hell are you doing out here?"

She glared at him and looked pointedly at her children. He raised an eyebrow. "They're asleep, who cares?"

"I do!" She hissed out, but Inuyasha ignored her.

"You should be inside, it's cold out. I don't need Miroku exorcising me when he comes back to see you and your kids ill," Inuyasha admonished.

Sango smiled. After a few years with Inuyasha, she could read his words easily— the way he acted like he didn't care when he really did.

"Thank you, Inuyasha, but I'm fine, really." She returned her gaze to the forest.

"Are you waiting for Miroku or something? He's not coming back for at least another few days, you know that, right?" She glared at him. "Of course I know that! It's just..."

"You miss him, right? Keh, stupid human emotions..." Inuyasha grumbled.

Sango flushed angrily. "What, like you haven't missed Ka—" If she could, she would have slapped a hand over her mouth. What was she thinking, bringing her up?

Inuyasha stiffened. "Look, there's a huge fucking difference between—"

"I know, I know!" Sango said hurriedly. "I-I didn't mean it, it just slipped out, and I'm sorry. Really."

"..." Inuyasha said nothing, but stood next to her, looking out into his forest.

"You're just lucky to know he'll return."

Sango swallowed hard. "You don't know that Kagome won't..."

"I know," he said curtly. "But you can be certain about Miroku, at least."

She looked down at her sleeping daughters. "I'm sorry Inuyasha, I really didn't mean to say that."

He huffed, before replying in a quieter tone. "Don't worry about it."

They stayed silent for a while before Sango broke the silence again. "Where's Shippo at?"

"Training again. Kohaku?"

"Training, again," Sango replied with a small smile on her face.

It was silent again before Inuyasha spoke up. "How long 'ya gonna stay out here? You can't just be waiting for him 'til he comes back."

Sango bit her lip before looking up at him and responding with, "It's not like you don't do it, either, Inuyasha."

His eyes widened and he looked down at her. "What?"

She averted her eyes. "I see you, sometimes. You take off to the well every now and then, every three days, actually."

Inuyasha's eyebrows furrowed. "You've been fucking _spying _on me?" He demanded incredulously.

"Not really. You're just more obvious than you think you are,"

He took a deep long breath before focusing his full attention on her. "You haven't told anyone, have you? 'Cause I swear—"

"No, because I'm pretty sure they already know. Haven't you notice no one ever asks or goes with you when you leave?" Inuyasha sputtered, and then 'keh'ed defiantly before jerking his nose towards the direction the sun would be visible in if it wasn't so cloudy.

Sango awkwardly shifted her children. "Don't worry, Inuyasha. Kami smiles upon loving spirits such as yourself. I can guarantee you'll see her again," Sango said softly. With her arms full, she managed to walk over to him and awkwardly put her head on his arm as a sort of friendly gesture. She could almost feel the boy's sorrow for his lost love, and was upset she couldn't provide more than a sisterly warmth for him.

Since she wasn't looking at his face, she completely missed his brilliant blush and flushed expression. He blinked furiously and his eyes shifted from side to side as if looking for a way out of the touching gesture.

He patted Sango's head a little hesitantly in his own way of returning the favor.

"You know, Inuyasha, at times you remind me of my father."

Inuyasha's eyes widened, and his lips parted in surprise. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"You two have things in common. Like how you're both so headstrong and prideful. My father never did let anyone insult him and get away with it." Sango giggled and let more of her head's weight drop onto Inuyasha's shoulder. "He was good at what he did, just like you are. He had a big heart and always protected our village, just like you protect us now."

Inuyasha grew more and more awkward-feeling with every indirect compliment Sango was pushing towards him. "I'm not your father, Sango." He almost flinched, instantly realizing how cold and harsh the words sounded at first, but was slightly relieved when Sango only laughed a little.

"Of course you're not Inuyasha. No one can ever replace my father. Let's just call you the big brother I never had."

"... Sango, I—"

"Oh, did I mention? My father... he used to hit Kohaku on the head when he did something bad like you do to Shippo. It's actually kind of weird how you uncannily resemble him sometimes."

He flinched guiltily and looked down. "I, um, I'm sorry..."

She withdrew her head from his warm body and looked at him a little incredulously. "What on earth for? Thank you, Inuyasha, for being a part of my family."

He heard her sniffle a little in response to the chilly air, most likely getting a runny nose.

He silently thanked the lord for the excuse to not watch the girl blather more and eventually shed tears. Inuyasha yanked off his outer haori, draping it over Sango's head and shoulders and managing to tie the sleeves around her and her children with the care of an older brother. Sango watched him wide eyed as he expertly tied the red garment around her and her children. When he finished, he tugged the part of the haori over her head a little more over her hairline, like a hood.

"Don't stay out too long, all right?" Inuyasha ruffled the top of her head before he turned and walked back towards Kaede's hut.

She smiled, feeling happier than she had been since Miroku left. "Don't worry, Inuyasha, I'll be right in," she called after his retreating figure.

She looked back towards the horizon, her spirit lighter than it was before.

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><p>AN: I hope I did an okay job on this. This idea, along with some others, have been floating around for a while and I was excited to finally write this one out. If you like stories like this, feel free to PM me so I can link you to other great ones on this website!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Here's chapter two! This idea popped into my head, and I couldn't help but write it! See if you can't guess who the mysterious guy is by the end of this!

Thanks so much, and I love you all! Happy Holidays!

Disclaimer: I kind of wanted to own Inuyasha for Christmas but...

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><p>Magically, Kagome had managed to get Inuyasha to allow her to go back to her time. She eagerly headed off towards the well and leaped over the edge, more than a little excited.<p>

She wasn't heading back for the usual exams or schooling— more like the complete opposite.

The school cultural festival.

She had heard it was a more minor event this year, and due to her amazingly active participation the previous year (and unfortunately, Inuyasha's) she had been excused from working the festival this year. The teachers had become sympathetic about her chronic illnesses and told her she shouldn't have been overworked.

As untrue as that was, Kagome was totally okay with it.

Upon coming home, she was greeted by her mother. "Kagome, honey, come here! I've gotten some more supplies for your trip back!" She waved towards the various grocery bags on the counter.

She swallowed guiltily as she looked as the piles of canned food and packages of ramen, to the vast array of medical supplies from the pharmacy in a separate bag.

"Mom, it's okay, you shouldn't have to buy so much! I'll pay for it, you know that!" Kagome's mother smiled and moved to hug her daughter.

"With what money, Kagome? You don't have a job, and it's not like you can get one." She pulled away and ruffled her daughter's hair. "Don't worry, dear, it's my job to take care of you. Don't you worry a thing about the money."

But she couldn't help but worry. Medicine was not cheap, and the amount of injuries she and her friends sustained from battle were not minimal in number. From something as simple as bandages or rubbing alcohol, to thick gauze and oral medication for internal injuries, Kagome wasn't stupid— costs and expenses were sky high.

Their family wasn't rich to begin with— just middle class. Owning a shrine wasn't really bringing in that much income, but they got by.

Kagome shuddered to think of how much her mother spent funding her excursions to the feudal era.

Nevertheless no matter how much Kagome protested, her mother wouldn't budge about who spent how much money on supplies— and that was that.

Kagome sighed as she thought about the piles of expensive supplies sitting on the dining room counter at this very moment as she strolled down the street with her friends. Ayumi, Yuka, and Eri had persuaded her to come dress shopping with them over the weekend. It wasn't a formal event, obviously, but Kagome thought that since she rarely attended school functions, she might as well come looking nice the one time she showed up.

The dress shops in Tokyo were abundant. From costume stores to formal wear, the four girls had their pick and variety. They wisely picked a store that was not advertising the latest in cosplay fashions. They weren't the one's performing, after all.

Yuka squealed as they entered the shop. "Oooh, I love dress shopping! It's been forever since we've done this, Kagome-chan! Your recent illnesses have kept us from spending so much time together!" Kagome laughed nervously.

"Yeah, I've missed hanging out with you guys," she said. She tried to avert her eyes, guilty that she lied to her friends yet again. It wasn't as though she had a choice— "Hey, have I mentioned that I go on crazy adventures five hundred years in the past?" was not the best conversation starter.

She sat on a bench in the changing room and smiled to herself as her friends came out of stalls, spinning in the mirrors and gushing over each others dresses. She had pulled a few random dresses from the racks and tucked them into her lap.

One in particular had caught her eye. a stunning red number that was nothing like a formal dress— something completely appropriate for perusing a school cultural festival, but one that would also help her stand out. The reminded her of Inuyasha's gaudy old-fashioned outfit. Come to think of it, was that the only reason she had noticed it in the first place...?

"Aren't you going on as well?" The deep voice coming from next to her startled Kagome violently She turned to see a well-dressed man giving her a soft smile. "You have dresses, but you haven't tried them no yet."

"Uh..." Kagome sought for a plausible explanation to give to this rather observant stranger. "I want to see my friend's pick out dresses first. Id' rather help them pick out their choices first." She thought she saw a raised eyebrow from the stranger, but it was gone if it was ever there in the first place.

"I see. How kind of you," the stranger replied. He blinked his dark eyes— if Kagome squinted, she could see a hint of green in them.

_Hmm. Maybe he's got some foreign genes in him?_

"How about you?" She inquired awkwardly. "Why aren' t you, uh—"

"Why aren't _I_ trying on dresses?" The man gave her an amused look. Kagome waved her hands around frantically.

"No, no, that's not what I meant!" She could feel hr face flush. "I meant, uh, what are you here for?"

"Ah," the man replied. A brief smile grazed his face. "I'm here to help out an old friend find a dress. She'll be around any minute." He tugged on the small ponytail his hair was gathered into with a teal colored tie.

"Kagome-chan!" She looked up to see her three friends running towards her, all wearing dresses out of the trial rooms. Ayumi smiled and spun a round. "What do you think?"

Kagome forced a smile on her through her wistful and upset thoughts. "You guys all look wonderful in them. Are you buying them?"

Eri put her hands on her hips proudly. "Of course! We've been trying on dresses for forever! These are our favorite ones." She frowned when she noticed the stack of dresses in her friends hands. "Kagome, you have so many, but you haven't tried a single one on. Let's go, we need to buy you a dress, too!"

Her heart sank as she looked at the expensive dresses in her hands. Dresses which once would have been easily affordable, but now were a huge burden to her mother if she bought one. She hadn't bothered to check the prices of the clothing in the store until ti was too late.

"No, I don't think these are the right dresses for me." She forced a tight smile onto her face. "I've just forgotten to put them back. Besides, they don't suit me."

Ayumi furrowed her eyebrows at her friend, "Nonsense, Kagome-chan, why don't you find a few to try on and we—"

Panicking, Kagome waved her off and moved to deposit the dresses on a nearby rack. "No! No, really it's fine!"

Her three friends gave her a suspicious look. Yuka stepped forward. "Kagome-chan, are you okay? You've been acting a little strange all day. Is your high fever coming back?" She moved to put a hand to her friends forehead, but was surprised when she jerked away harshly.

"Actually, maybe it is. It's supposed to be an on and off thing, anyways," Kagome laughed nervously. "Plus, it's getting late. I don't want Mama to worry. Why don't you guys go pay for your stuff?"

Eri frowned. "But Kagome-chan, you still need a dress for the festival!"

"I'm sure I can find one tomorrow, or maybe Mama has something nice I can borrow. Really, I should be getting home."

Yuka sighed. "All right, then." She took Eri's arm and they moved towards the register.

Ayumi approached Kagome. "Kagome? Are you sure you don't want anything from here?"

_Oh, Ayumi,_ Kagome thought, smiling mentally. "I'm positive." She lied through her teeth.

"I saw you looking at that red dress earlier. You know, if it's a problem with the payment, I'm more than happy to—"

Kagome shook with anxiety. Did Ayumi suspect something? "No, it's nothing like that. I, um, I realized I didn't like the, uh, the back!" She snapped her fingers. "Yes, that's it, I realized it was too showy for me so I decided I didn't like it." With a gentle push, she managed to get her friend moving towards the register.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow, okay? I can feel that fever coming back..." she finished with a nervous laugh. Ayumi grinned and waved her goodbye.

"Feel better, Kagome-chan!"

When no one was looking, she longingly stroked the hem of the red dress she had fallen in love with before biting her lip and exiting the store.

The man from before watched the sad girl as she left.

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><p>The next morning after breakfast, Kagome had almost finished packing her yellow bag guiltily with all the supplies her mother had paid for when said mother descended the stairs.<p>

"Oh, Kagome, hold on, dear. There's something for you," Mama Higurashi said as she held out a large package for her daughter. "It arrived early this morning."

Tilting her head to the side, Kagome took the blank box. "What is it?" Her mother shrugged. "I don't know. It's for you."

They moved to the kitchen, and Kagome set the box on the table before curiously opening it. "Do you know who sent it?"

Her mother shook her head. "No, it was sitting on the doorstep this morning. It had your name on it, no return address or anything."

Gasping, she pulled out the last thing she had expected. Papers from school, a gift from her relatives, maybe, but certainly not this.

Certainly not the red dress from the shop the day before.

Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes as she pulled the entire swath of fabric out and held it before her. It was exactly her size, as well, and before she knew it, tears were spilling out.

"Oh, honey, it's beautiful! Do you have any idea who it's from?"

Kagome looked into the now empty box.

There, sitting at the bottom of the box, was a round, perfectly smooth green leaf. Several things clicked in her mind at once.

"An old friend. I know, I can just tell." Unable to help herself, she hugged the dress and the leaf from the box tightly to herself.

Hidden in the branches of the Goshinboku outside, a red-haired figure smiled toothily before leaping away.

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><p>AN: I hope you all enjoyed that chapter! Any ideas that you might have, please feel free to share them! Can anyone tell em who it was that gave her the dress? ;)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: So, this popped into my head. To be clear, this is a family fanfiction, guys— not a pairing between Kagome and Sesshomaru. I don't ship those two, despite the few favorited stories I have of them on my profile. Those are there because the plots were amazing :P

So, here it is! Chapter three of _Togetherness_! Thanks, guys! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, or

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><p>Studying was by no means Kagome's forte. She was quite certain that she had a higher percent chance of hitting a demon on the first try with her bow and arrows than the percentage score she would receive on her next geography examination.<p>

She stared down at the world map she had in her lap, then at the language textbooks splayed open at her side. English really wasn't her best subject...

She sighed loudly before turning back to her map and her history textbook in frustration. Why learn so much about foreign countries? Kagome was quite certain she wasn't going to be jetting off to China or America anytime soon.

She gnawed on the eraser part of her pencil and glared intently at her map. She supposed it was helpful to understand the geography of her country if she was going to be running around it blindly with her friends in the Feudal Era, but it was so hard...

She has managed to anger Inuyasha into leaving her alone for an hour or two, tops. Just enough for her to cram for her exams on English and geography tomorrow.

Which she would make Inuyasha let her attend, of course.

"Miko."

Kagome jumped slightly before sighing. Just when she thought she could study in peace...

She glanced up slightly nervously at the demon lord who stood before her. "Hello, Sesshomaru-nii-sama." She fidgeted anxiously. "What brings you here?"

She wasn't afraid of him, obviously, but he was intruding on her alone time. Since the demise of Naraku, he had much less bent on killing Inuyasha. Kagome thought it was nice. Inuyasha thought he was plotting.

"I was visiting Rin at the village," his monotone voice said, before his eyes turned towards the object on her lap. "You possess a map of the world?"

It surely wasn't the question that Kagome would expect him to voice. "Yes, it's for my studies. Would you like to see it?" She held it up towards him with some difficulty, seeing as how she was sitting down, but Sesshomaru stood tall above her.

With nimble fingers, Sesshomaru extracted the map from her fingers and gazed down at it.

"Your world makes very accurate maps."

Kagome bit her lip. "My world?"

Sesshomaru gave her a cool glance. "You come from another time, do you not?" He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"But how did you—" She was cut off abruptly.

"I am not blind. That is how." Kagome shut her mouth. Surely it wasn't so obvious that she was a time traveler?

"What is this place?"

"Hmm?" Kagome strained her neck as she sat up and squinted at the map Sesshomaru now held, looking at where his long clawed finger was pointing.

"Ahh, I don't think I can tell you that..."

"And why not?"

Kagome gulped at the look he gave her, and laughed nervously. "Well, uh, being from the future and all, there are some things that haven't been discovered yet here, and I don't think I should tell you." She twiddled her fingers nervously and dared a look upwards at him. "Might mess up history or something, you know?"

Another look.

"Okay, okay! I'm trusting you here, alright?" Again, silence from the taiyoukai.

"It's called Antarctica— it was the seventh continent in the world, and it's pretty much ice. There, that's all I'm going to tell you." She crossed her arms defiantly

"Hn." He traced a finger delicately over the border of Europe on the map. "This place..."

"What?" Kagome finally stood up and moved so she could look at the map, being sure to keep her distance from the man on front of her. "Oh, Britain? You know about it?" The surprise was clearly evident in her voice.

"Indeed. I have traveled there before."

Kagome's jaw dropped. "No way! You are so lucky!"

Sesshomaru wrinkled his nose. "It is filled with humans. The only demons there are low-lifes who have forgotten their nature."

Kagome's eyes were lit with excitement. "Where else have you been?"

She watched, entranced by wanderlust, as the demon lord traced his fingers over other parts of Europe and Asia, and, to her surprise, North America.

"I don't even think it was colonized by now..."

"Colonized?"

"Nothing..." Kagome sighed dreamily as she gazed at the map. "The world is very large; you are lucky to have seen so much of it, Lord Sesshomaru."

"I am aware."

She fiddled with her thumb again before tentatively asking,"So... Can I have my map back now?" She caught it as he dropped it from his grasp. She smiled and was about to bid him goodbye until she found her English language book no longer next to her.

Guess who had it?

"Hn." He flipped through the pages as his eyes skimmed the words. "Can you speak this language?"

"English?" Kagome flushed and looked down at her lap. "Not particularly well, no. It's just an extracurricular activity, for fun, you know? I'm really horrible at it, to be honest."

Sesshomaru raised a thin eyebrow at her and opened his mouth to speak. The string of words which came out made little to no sense to Kagome.

"Eh?"

"That, you fool, was proper English."

She should have expected that.

"Hey! Since you're so good, mind helping me—"

"No." Without another word, he dropped the rather heavy textbook on her lap, making Kagome exhale sharply. "Hey!" When she looked up, she saw him now holding one of her Chinese textbooks.

"See, now I'm actually a lot better at Mandarin. I'm even in the advanced level class for it."

Sesshomaru made a noise of disinterest in the back of his throat.

"You know, I could have even gone on the special school trip to China. but of course, Inuyasha never would have let me be away so far for so long. And he obviously couldn't come with me.."

Kagome continued to ramble, while Sesshomaru managed to finish reading the fairly large textbook. Once he was done, he dropped it as well, and Kagome managed to get out of the way this time.

"What, you read the whole thing?"

"Of course." Well, if he could run fast enough that you could see traces of his image she was quite sure his mind worked in a similar fashion.

"You know, if you like them so much, I'll bring you some back the next time I go through the well. Just don't go changing history or anything, okay?"

Sesshomaru continued to look at her. She took that as agreement on his part.

"Well, it's been nice chatting with you, but I really have to get back to my studying. If you'll excuse me..." Kagome made to stand and politely take her leave, but was stopped by Sesshomaru's voice.

"Half a lunar cycle from today, a trade ship will depart from the Western lands for China. Give my name and they will allow you to board and journey with them." He spared her a glance before turning and walking away.

"Go with them if you so choose."

Kagome stared after him with her jaw dropped. Had he just...?

"Wait!" Sesshomaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes heavenward before looking down at the young girl who had come to a stop before him.

"Can Inuyasha come?" Kagome bit her lip nervously. "I'm not sure he'll let me go without him."

"The ship is a demon ship. They will not enjoy his company, and neither will Inuyasha enjoy theirs. I highly doubt he will even think about going."

"Oh." Kagome tried not to let the obvious disappointment show on her face as she lowered it. No way was she ever going to be allowed to go now.

She heard something akin to a very, _very _quiet sigh from the taiyoukai. "Tell my idiot of a half-brother that if he cannot go, I will." He idly touched a sword at his side, muttering that he was planning on going anyways.

"I expect to see you at the dock at the southern part of the Western lands in half a lunar cycle's time." He narrowed his eyes slightly at her. "Consider this repayment for the books you will be bringing me."

Kagome laughed nervously. "What else would it be for?" However, she couldn't help the smile that bubbled up onto her face, and she impulsively hugged her older brother-in-law. He pulled her off by the back of her shirt almost a second after she had managed to touch him, and sent her a cold glare. "Do not touch my person."

His final words for the moment being said, Sesshomaru set the young miko back on her feet before phasing off into the depths of the forest faster than her eyes could follow.

All studying aside, Kagome couldn't help but dance around gleefully. There was nothing stopping her from her trip now!

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><p>"No."<p>

"Inuyasha—!"

"Kagome, _no. _I'm not going, and you sure as hell aren't going to fucking _China_ alone! Do you know how long the whole thing'll take? And it's a ship full of demons, too! What, do you think I'm stupid or something? A bunch of demons and one human? What, are you going to spend your free time together playing _Go _or something?"

"No, Inuyasha, would you just listen to me?!"

Her husband let out a frustrated sigh and ran his hand through his hair. "Fine, what?"

"If you won't go, I'll go with your brother. He said he'd be—"

"_HELL NO!"_

Kagome blinked in confusion. "What's so bad about Sesshomaru? He's stopped trying to kill us all, now. I think he even likes us a little."

Inuyasha gritted his teeth. "I won't go on vacation with you, so you're going to leave me for my bastard of a brother?"

"What? N— oh..." Kagome nodded in understanding. "You think I'm going off to be with Sesshomaru or something? No, he just said he would be going on the same ship. If you wouldn't go, he'll be there, at least."

Inuyasha sputtered and turned red. "What makes you think _he _won't kill you or something, wench?"

"Easy. I'll let him win when we play Go with all the other demons on the ship."

"'Gome..." Inuyasha ground his fangs together and looked at the young woman, determination churning her eyes. "Can't you just go to China in your own world or something?"

"Unless you come with me and we magically got the travel funds, I'd be alone. And China now is so much nicer, and cleaner air, and—"

"Alright, alright," Inuyasha grumbled. "Write letters. Send them." He stepped forward to hug his wife tightly. "Don't leave me for too long," he mumbled into her hair.

"You know, you could come with me."

"Trapped on a boat for weeks or months? And what am I supposed to do in China? Destroy their version of Naraku?" Kagome snorted at Inuyasha's small joke.

"Don't worry." Kagome hugged Inuyasha tighter. "I'll be back before you know it."

They stayed like that, standing by the Bone-Eaters Well in each others embrace while they still could.

* * *

><p>Kagome grinned widely at the wide, open sea. An approximate eight hundred kilometers away was China, and she was about ready to swim the distance if need be.<p>

Prepared for their journey was an incredibly large atakebune, polished and strong, ready for travel. Kagome couldn't help but wonder why they were traveling on a warship.

"Your books, nii-sama." Kagome dropped the large language textbooks into the demon lords arms. "They're brand new! Just remember, you'll be ahead of the times if you read all that now." Kagome gave him a warning glance. "Seriously, don't go changing history by speaking modern English to the Chinese emperor or something."

"How foolish do you believe me to be?"

"Very," piped in a voice from behind Kagome. Inuyasha walked in front of his wife and narrowed his eyes at his brother. "I had better not be making a mistake by putting her in your care, understand?"

"If you are not coming with us, Inuyasha, I suggest you take your leave now." Sesshomaru drummed his long claws delicately on the hard cover of the books in one of his arms, being careful not to dent the smooth covers.

"I'll bring you back a present!" Kagome said excitedly.

"I don't need anything."

"But I want to get you something. So it'll be like you were on the trip, too. Your very own piece of China!" Inuyasha 'keh'ed and blushed slightly. He moved forward and hugged Kagome. "Stay safe, okay? If you come back with one scratch on you.." Inuyasha trailed off. Kagome snuggled into his haori.

"I'll stay safe, I promise. Right, Sesshomaru-nii-sama?"

He grunted, then tilted his head forward the slightest bit. "Come. The ship is about to leave."

Kagome gave Inuyasha a kiss. "I'll miss you, love."

"Don't call me love," he mumbled against her mouth. "Stay safe, wench, I'll miss you, too."

"Don't call me wench." Inuyasha grinned and pecked her lightly on the mouth again, sweeping her off her feet and twirling her around. "You have fun in China, okay?"

Kagome was already wiggling out of his grasp, eager to board the ship. "Yeah, yeah. Don't worry, I'll see you again soon!" She waved to him as she ran ahead towards the boat, her packed clothing and books having already been taken inside by a youkai worker on the ship. "I love you!" She called over her shoulder.

She awkwardly managed to climb most of the plank leading up to the ship. Sesshomaru grabbed her arm and hauled her over the edge of the boat.

They set sail almost immediately. Kagome turned towards Inuyasha, who smiled forlornly at his retreating wife, waving until they couldn't see each other anymore.

Kagome then turned to Sesshomaru, who was, surprisingly, still standing beside her.

"Nii-sama?" He cut his eyes towards her.

"What exactly am I going to do in China?"

"..."

* * *

><p>AN: So, I hope you guys liked that. I might add on another chapter or two in this series of one-shots, Togetherness. The family relationship between Kagome and Sesshomaru is pretty damn interesting.

Some additional info:

Atakebune - Japanese warships commonly used during this time period.

*I don't see why Sesshomaru couldn't have gone traveling. So, here's a Sesshomaru fluent in 16th century Mandarin and English.

*In this particular version of the ending, Kagome can still freely travel between the two times after the defeat of Naraku. Why not?

Any ideas? I'll be glad to hear them! Thanks for reading, guys! :)


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